Futurelawyer

Take A Moment... Turn Your Phone Into A DSLR

Moment Lenses And Cases. Okay, maybe adding a Moment case and lens to your Smartphone won't magically turn it into a functioning DSLR. But, that Smartphone in your pocket can, with a couple of mobile additions, turn that phone into a really good camera. The best camera for any photographer is the one she has with her when out and about. When I am doing a serious day of photography, while sightseeing or going to the Zoo or theme park, I usually carry a Canon T6 with a 18-400 zoom lens, which is the most versatile setup for real DSLR photography out there for the serious amateur. Professionals opt for much more expensive setups, and expensive lenses; but, the best photos are in the mind of the photographer, and the equipment is not the most important thing, as long as it is up for the task. But, all of the clip on lenses for Smartphones to date have been tough to use, and not of the highest quality. Enter Moment, and cases customized for most Smartphones, with a little lip over the lenses on the back that accepts really fine lenses that twist on, and are stable. The result, when added to a phone grip like the Pictar, which I have posted about before, and you have a hand carried camera that really shines. Thanks, Moment, for making many more of my moments special.

Honeymoon Highlights

I know this blog is supposed to be about legal tech, but the highlight of our honeymoon cruise came tonight when we received the Black and White proofs of our photo shoot yesterday. Our photographer is a genius, as I hope you will agree. We are going to put between 6 and 12 of them in a large wall sized frame for the house. Say what you want about cruise photography, this made the whole cruise for us.I hope you enjoy seeing them half as much as we do. . 

The Analog Revolution - Back To Our Roots?

Film Photography Comeback? I love my vinyl record collection. I have two turntables in the office, and I love the slow pace of going through the records, choosing one, taking it out of the sleeve, using a dust brush, carefully placing it on the turntable, and turning on the imperfect, but authentic, sound. When the first side concludes, I am forced to get out of my chair, walk to the turntable, turn the record over, and begin again. OK, Millennial. I get it. Why waste all that time, when I can just click an icon on my computer or smartphone, and listen to pure, digital music? Hey, I get it. I am the FutureLawyer, remember? But, there is something primal about OLD tech, and music isn't the only game in town. I used to spend hours in a darkroom, winding 35 mm color slide film, developing it in plastic tanks, trimming and mounting the slides, and then putting them in an enlarger and making Cibachrome prints on paper. I would develop them in big plastic drums, and the magic of seeing beautiful color prints come out of the drums was palpable. I still have all of my darkroom equipment in my den, and occasionally threaten to get back to it. Anybody else out there have a bunch of old camera bodies and lenses that need dusting off?

When You Absolutely, Positively Only Want To Carry One Lens - Tamron 18-400

Tamron 18-400 Zoom Lens. I own a lot of camera bodies and lenses, which I have accumulated over the years, since the Eighties. The early film cameras are still in my den, reminders of the days when I spent hours in a darkroom, developing film, and making prints from slides with Cibachrome. In recent years, the development of digital cameras has reached a point where a compact, light, and easy to carry system like the Canon Rebel T6 is the only camera I bring when I travel. Now, for a paltry $649, I only need to carry one lens, the Tamron 18-400 Zoom, to shoot anything under the sun. Really. I can shoot animals in motion, landscapes without vibration, and anything in between. I don't have to get too close to my subjects. I am a lazy photographer, and tend to plant myself wherever, and zoom in and out at will. I don't even take a tripod with me anymore. The image stabilization built in to the lens (Tamron calls it vibration compensation) will correct up to 2 1/2 stops of movement, and gives rock solid focus at all times. Yes, Smartphone cameras have gotten pretty good over the years; but, there is no substitute for a good SLR matched to a good lens. See you in the field.

Google Photos - Crop That Sucker

Google Photos gets markup functions for its image editor. Most amateur photographers (that means you, person with phone in hand taking photos and posting them online) make one colossal mistake with their photographs. They don't get close enough, and don't fill the frame with their subject matter. Sometimes, scenics and nature require broad views; but, if you are photographing people, animals, birds or other subjects, it is almost always better to get close. If you don't get close when you take the photograph, you can zoom in with the cropping tool of an image editor. There are a lot of these around; but, now, Google Photos, the best image collection cloud service, is providing editing tools in the app. You can crop and now make annotations on the fly. So, start cropping those photos, so I don't have to look at extraneous background anymore. Please.

PhotoScan by Google Photos - Save The Past

PhotoScan by Google Photos - Apps on Google Play. Those of us of a certain age remember when photos were shared in paper albums, and pasted in place. These days our photo lives are stored on a remote server, and accessed through apps like Google Photos. But, what of the past? How do we save our prized memories? Many of us share photos of photos on Facebook or other social media. But, were you aware that there is an app within the Google Photos app that scans photos with your smartphone camera and uploads them for you? Pull out those printed photos and scan away.  

Look Ma! No Wires! No Third Party Apps!

So far, the coolest feature of the Galaxy Note 10 Plus and its tight integration with Windows 10 is the mirroring feature of YourPhone. No USB cables. No wires at all. No third party apps with buggy interfaces. Turn on the phone and the computer and the phone screen pops up on the computer. It can then be controlled on screen by the mouse, keyboard or whatever else you have attached. This is your Smartphone on steroids, and is a game changer. I shot this photo of my phone on screen showing me shooting a photo of my phone with me onscreen. Now, say that three times fast. Cool.

Memento Mori - Do You Know Where This Was Taken?

This is a screen shot of my new Galaxy 10 plus Smartphone. Naturally, it has my favorite Stoic phrase in it: "Memento Mori", a reminder that we must always remember and be prepared to die. Live each day as if... Now, who knows where this photo was taken?

Some Models Get More Beautiful With Age

Sunken Gardens is as excited as we are about the wedding plans. They are searching their archives for records of the model shoot Diane did many years ago at the Gardens. I am beyond amazed that this beautiful and wonderful woman wants to marry me. Here are a couple of photos from that shoot, in 1970. That is 50 years ago. She looks pretty good, for an old lady. :-)

Megapixels So High They're Insane!!!

Film cameras are obsolete. Except for a few diehard purists, who shoot 35 mm film just to say they can, the detail available to a mid-range digital camera these days is more than most of us can discern anyway. At a size of around 22 mm, camera sensors are really more than the typical photographer needs for archival storage of their digital images. However, Samsung and other big corporations are into bigger than the other guy, so Samsung is making 108 megapixel sensors for next year's phones. While comparing digital and film images is somewhat of an apples and oranges thing, it is safe to say that 108 megapixels is more detail than God needed. So, put those film cameras away in a drawer and start looking at a new Smartphone. Or get an SLR digital camera so you can get some serious zoom action going. It's going to be a bright future for cameras, in phones and out.